Spain’s digital nomad visa

After much anticipation, the Digital Nomad Visa was made available on 23 December 2022. For countries like Great Britain, outside the EU, the nomad visa provides the opportunity to stay in Spain for more than 90 days at a time as a resident and work as well.

The visa is aimed at employed remote workers and the self-employed whose company’s are based outside Spanish territory and for whom the worker uses remote working technology i.e laptops and virtual meeting technology to fulfil their role. Regarding self-employed status, (s)he can also work for a company located in Spain, as long as the percentage of this work doesn’t exceed 20% of the total amount of his/her professional activity.

Family members

The spouse or unmarried partner may also obtain the visa, together with dependent children and dependent relatives (limited).

Proof of family relationships will be by appropriate certificates. Foreign documents/certificates must be legalized or apostilled and, when necessary, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.

What follows is just a summary of the requirements. The actual official requirements go into much more detail and that details can be found on a Spanish Consulate website such as this one issued from London.

Pre-application requirements

• Applicant must hold a recognised University, College or Business School degree OR have at least three years’ of relevant work experience in occupation they are using to apply for the digital nomad visa
• NIE number

Digital Nomad Visa Application requirements

Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor. They may also be submitted through a duly accredited representative.

Each applicant separately will need to have or show:

• Visa application form completed and signed
• Recent passport sized colour photograph
• Valid passport with at lease 12 months left before expiry. Note: You maybe asked to relinquish passport while your application is being processed. This depends on where you are making the application.
• Criminal record certificate(s) issued by applicant’s country or countries of residence for the past 2 years (applicants of legal age only).
• Proof of residence in the country you are making the application from
• Payment of the visa fee which has to be made when submitting the application
• The original and a copy of the certificate of public or private health insurance purchased from a health insurance provider authorised to operate in Spain.
• Proof of working for at least three months for a foreign company before the application.
• Documentation provided by the company in respect of:
  • An employee: Length of the contract and explicit consent to work remotely in Spain.
  • Self-employment: Length of the contract, and the terms and conditions to work remotely in Spain.
• Companies House certificate showing date of company formation
• Proof of compliance with British Social Security and/or Spanish Social Security systems
• Proof of financial means for the main applicant of c£2,140 p.c.m. (£25,700 p.a.)
  • For the first family member they must prove additional financial means of c£800 p.c.m. (£9,600 p.a.)
  • For each additional applicant, c£270 p.c.m. (£3,200 p.a.)

Digital Nomad Visa granted

This visa will be valid for a maximum of one year or the same validity as the authorization granted to live and work in Spain.  It is not compulsory to obtain a Residence Permit Card once in Spain, as the visa is proof enough of legal residency. However, it is possible to apply for a Residence Permit Card at the nearest immigration office or police station.

DISCLAIMER. This article does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. It is indicative only and the content contained here is subject to change at any time. If you need to know about the most current situation and arrangements, contact Sun Lawyers directly.